Outside the air is warming up. The daffs, tulips and cherry blossoms are dazzling us with their perfume and vibrant colours. Despite the season of outdoor renewal, social distancing prevents us from participating fully in the joys of spring. Today’s suggestions might make these limitations less painful.
Today I’m recommending two delicious wines that will bring the joys of spring into your home just in time for Easter! Oyster Bay 2018 Chardonnay ($17.99; $2 off until May 2) from New Zealand is my first tip.
This white wine comes from the famous Marlborough region of the South Island. Marlborough gained fame in the 1980’s with its award winning Sauvignon Blancs catapulting NZ on the world wine map. Previous to that, Kiwi wines were like the first B.C. wines. Mediocre at best!
But New Zealand is no longer a one trick pony! Delicious Pinot Noirs, Merlots, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay’s are being produced. The Oyster Bay Chardonnay is two-years-old and I consider that the ideal age for this varietal. It displays an exuberant nose of flowers and stone and tropical fruit.
When you taste the Oyster Bay Chard, the vibrant acidity balances the peach, mango, and pineapple flavours. It epitomizes the freshness and liveliness of a spring day. Consider serving it with a prawn salad with lettuce and celery and homemade seafood sauce
Next is another Southern Hemisphere wine, the Penfold’s 2017 Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet from South Australia ($19.49). Penfold’s is a legend in Australian wine history as they produce what is probably the best and most expensive red in the Southern Hemisphere, The Grange. The 2014 Grange is available at the Cambie & 39th Specialty Store for $1000!
Coming back down to earth, the 2017 Koonunga Hill Shiraz has a wonderful bouquet of black and blue fruit along with toasted oak. Expect generous fruity flavours of licorice, blackberry, and blueberry with a kiss of oak, and a big body yet smooth tannins ending on an appealing smoky finish.
It would be ideal with an Easter lamb, especially if it is baked on a briquette barbecue! You might even sip it with some Easter chocolate, especially if it is dark chocolate with 80% cacao.
Both of today’s recommendations are available in all three Richmond government stores.
If price is no object, it would be fantastic to try this next to the Grange but during this uncertain pandemic crisis, most of us are not in a financial position to make that leap. When the economy gets back on its feet, you could try a more affordable comparison by opening a bottle of Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz ($99.99). U.S. wine critic James Suckling rated this as worth 95 points. Like our Koonunga Hill, its more expensive cousin is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. But the 389 has more Cabernet Sauvignon whereas its cheaper cousin has more Shiraz. And the 389 comes from better vineyard sites, the grapes are older, and it receives more TLC all around.
Is it five times better than the Koonunga Hill? That’s for you to discover. Welcome to Spring and Easter!
